President Trump
Donald TrumpHealthPolitics

Trump Push Pays Off: Brits Must Pay Same Price as Americans for New Drug

RNN Staff

Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb announced Monday that it will demand the same price for its new schizophrenia medication, Cobenfy, in the United Kingdom as it charges in the United States. The decision marks a major shift in international drug pricing and reflects a growing impact of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end what he has called “global freeloading” at America’s expense.

This is the first time Bristol has ever pursued price parity between the U.S. and U.K. markets. The company is asking U.K. health authorities to pay $1,850 per month for the new treatment—identical to its U.S. price—and has warned that it is prepared to withhold the drug entirely if British regulators refuse to comply.

“Our intention is to work with NICE and NHS to make this medicine available, but we are prepared to make the difficult decision to walk away if they cannot better recognize the value our medicine brings,” said Adam Lenkowsky, Bristol’s chief commercialization officer.

Lenkowsky added, “We agree with the Trump Administration that other countries need to pay their fair share.”

White House Strategy in Motion

The announcement follows a May 12 executive order signed by President Trump aimed at ending the decades-long imbalance in global pharmaceutical pricing. According to that order, U.S. patients and taxpayers fund roughly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits, despite making up less than 5% of the world’s population.

“This egregious imbalance is orchestrated through a purposeful scheme,” the order reads, “in which drug manufacturers deeply discount their products to access foreign markets, and subsidize that decrease through enormously high prices in the United States.”

The Trump administration’s goal is to force drug companies to stop offering deep discounts to foreign governments, pushing those governments to shoulder more of the development costs for life-saving medications. Cobenfy appears to be the first test case.

Trump said last week, “For years, we’ve been paying $100 for a pill, and they’re paying $10. That ends now.”

Threats of Tariffs on the Table

President Trump has made it clear he’s willing to use economic pressure to force other nations to comply.

“If these countries don’t agree, I’ll use tariffs to get them to agree,” he said during an appearance on Fox News. “You’re going to see drug prices in the U.S. fall by 1,000% over the next year and a half.”

The president added that the plan would benefit not just the general population, but also major federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

U.K. Approval Still Pending

Cobenfy has not yet been approved for use in the United Kingdom. Bristol Myers Squibb plans to file for approval in the coming weeks and anticipates clearance by regulators sometime next year. In the meantime, the company’s tough stance is putting pressure on Britain’s National Health Service and regulatory agencies.

The move comes as studies continue to show Americans pay drastically more for prescription medications. A 2023 report by the RAND Corporation found U.S. drug prices were nearly three times higher than those in other developed nations.

The White House sees this development as a key win in its ongoing push to bring fairness and affordability to American health care—one that could have ripple effects across the global pharmaceutical landscape.

Ad Blocker Detected!

Refresh